


Everlasting Screams

by WordsAblaze



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Hurt Dan Howell, Hurt Phil Lester, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mystery, Phan - Freeform, Romance, Sorry Phil, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-11-28 15:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 6,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsAblaze/pseuds/WordsAblaze
Summary: Dan screams, Phil's world goes dark and their life spirals into madness. Phil can't hold onto memories of the past and Dan can only catch glimpses of the future, both unable to get back to each other... A Phan story.





	1. Bad Things Come In Threes

**Author's Note:**

> So I sometimes have bursts of inspiration that I'm turning into a story... It's more spontaneous so feel free to request / suggest something!

Dan's first scream.

That's the first thing Phil registers when his eyes fly open.

He shoots out of bed, fumbles around for his glasses so that he can actually see, and pushes the bedroom door open with his shoulder.

Dan's second scream.

That's the next thing Phil registers as he stumbles his way to the kitchen, dimly wondering why Dan went there at three in the morning anyway.

By the time he manages to flick the lights on, there's an unstoppable metal object flying towards his head.

Dan's third scream.

That's the last thing the registers before his glasses smash and his eyes reflexively shut.

He's tilting, the walls are turning and the ground is too close for comfort as his vision darkens, all signs of consciousness fading away.

Unbeknownst to Phil, Dan doesn't stay silent, but the myriad of his screams fall upon unhearing ears.

Ears that won't hear Dan again for a very long time.

For an unbearably long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introduction complete. Leave a kudos or comment?


	2. Nothing But Blue Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan screams, Phil's world goes dark and their life spirals into madness. Phil can't hold onto memories of the past and Dan can only catch glimpses of the future, both unable to get back to each other... A Phan story.

Blue eyes open in the dark, a source of colour in the otherwise shadowed room.

He groans softly, his head throbbing and his brain pounding inside of his skull. He rubs his eyes, trying in vain to escape the darkness.

Frowning, he pulls himself up into a sitting position so he can lean against the wall.

Wall?

He jerks backwards, resting his palm on the cool stone wall.

The stone wall that's definitely not part of his-

He groans, unable to remember what his bedroom actually looks like. Or if he even has a bedroom.

He tries to remember where he lived before this. When he can't think of anywhere, he tries to remember who he was living with, what his job was or anything about his home.

He can't.

He thinks back, trying to picture his parents, think of his favourite song or imagine what his bedroom looked life. He tries to name his favourite film, recall any good books or recite his favourite quotes. He tries to pull out his favourite smell or an outfit he wears a lot. He tries to remember anything.

Scarily, he comes up blank.

Absolutely blank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious, right? I hope so... Leave a kudos or comment?


	3. Ruined Plans

Dan stirs as his legs hit something that falls over, landing on his foot. He yelps, pushing the tripod off his legs and blinking the sleep away from his eyes.

Just as he notices where he is, the doorbell rings, followed by the furious knocking that can only belong to one person.

Not Phil, unfortunately.

It's Louise.

She was meant to come over and film some collabs before the three of them went out for lunch together. But that seems impossible now.

Dan lets his head fall against the locked door, his hands tied together behind him.

He remembers hearing a few crashes but deciding not to wake Phil, instead going to check it out by himself. He remembers screaming as the man had turned to him, accidentally waking Phil up. He'd cursed himself as Phil's footsteps had sounded and guilt had stabbed his heart when Phil had fallen to the floor with an awkward, unceremonious thud.

Everything after that was a blur. Next thing he knew, he was waking up inside their smallest storage room, alone and unable to move aside from small wriggles.

But still, he thumps his head against the door, hoping for something, anything.

It works.

He hears Phil's ringtone, his ringtone and then Louise using her spare key to let herself in.

So he shouts, "Louise!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling most of these will be very short... Leave a kudos or comment?


	4. Evading Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: one not-really-swearing swear word at the end

"Louise!" Dan yells, his usually loud voice sounding feeble.

"Dan? Phil? Where are you?"

"Cupboard!" Dan manages, letting his head hit the door again.

Two minutes and a few curses later, Louise finally finds Dan.

"Is Phil out there?" Dan asks immediately.

Louise seems to ignore the question, fussing over Dan and pulling him upright, only to shove him onto the sofa a minute later.

She unties his hands, watching as he rubs the angry red rings on his wrists, before filling up a glass of water in the kitchen.

"Where's Phil?" Dan mumbles sleepily; a glance at the clock tells him he's missed out on an entire night's sleep.

"Drink this," Louise orders.

Dan mutters something about baseball, refusing to take the glass from her.

"What happened?" Louise asks urgently.

Dan shakes his head. "Noise... Man... I woke Phil... Gone... What- Where's Phil?"

Louise pulls a blanket over Dan and shushes him, "Sleep now, we'll find Phil..."

Dan moans, "No, where-"

"Dan, it's okay, you need to sleep."

"Don't-" Dan can't keep his eyes open, falling into unconsciousness before he can finish his reply.

Flashes of confused blue eyes, a harsh kick to someone's stomach, a muffled cry of pain, a gaze of disbelief and blinding lights flood Dan's brain.

"What the hell?" He mumbles in his sleep, tossing and turning to try and escape the nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But is it JUST a nightmare? Leave a kudos or comment?


	5. Genes Can Be Problematic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mild violence

He backs into the corner, squeezing his eyes shut and watching his mental image of two people playing video games, not knowing if it's a memory or a dream. He watches their silhouettes compete, one laughing and one biting the controller.

"Get up!" someone barks right above him.

He starts, banging his head on the wall. The man sighs in exasperation and pulls him up, letting him stumble before pushing him against the cold stone.

"Who are you?" the man barks.

"I- I don't know."

"Whats your name?"

"I'm not... I'm not sure."

The man cocks his head disbelievingly. "You're not?"

He shakes his head, glancing at the man. Strangely, the man just laughs, throwing his head back and letting go of him.

He sighs with relief, rolling his shoulders. That's when he notices he can't see very well, and everything is blurry.

The man must notice his frantic blinking because he shoves something into his hands. "Put these on."

Glasses.

They don't work, making everything even more blurry; it hurts his head to look through them.

"Damn, we got the wrong ones. Just our luck to find a problematic one." the man takes the glasses from him and throws them across the room.

"Sorry," he offers.

He doesn't know what he did wrong but there's a sudden, painful punch to his gut and he's falling to his knees, curling up against the kicks and crying out as each one sends pain across his skin.

"Don't talk unless you're spoken to."

He nods without thinking, struggling to breathe and shaking like a leaf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that every fic has someone shaking like a leaf but it's just so accurate... Leave a kudos or comment?


	6. Waking Up Alone

Dan groans as sunlight dances across his eyelids. He blinks and puts a hand up to block the blinding light, fighting off sleep.

"What the-" he can't even curse before falling off the sofa, landing heavily on his arm.

It's only when the absence of Phil makes itself noticeable that he pulls himself up in a panic. He stumbles around the entire flat, looking for a sign of where Phil is, but he finds none.

There's a note in the kitchen from Louise explaining what happened to the best of her knowledge, but nothing else.

Nothing seems to be stolen or damaged but the shattered remains of Phil's glasses are still glittering on the floor.

Dan pinches the bridge of his nose, trying his best not to freak out. It doesn't really work because he ends up rocking back and forth on the floor, hugging his knees so tightly that his hands start to turn white.

Having no appetite whatsoever, he pours himself a glass of apple juice and forces himself to drink it so that he has enough energy to look for Phil.

He can't think.

His mind is inundated with blurred faces, all covered in soot and exhaustion. None of them are looking directly at him but there's no way he wouldn't recognise Phil.

His heart clenches painfully as he sees Phil in such a state, but he's helpless to take him away from there.

He has to find Phil.

He has to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I'm cross-posting, I'm realising that I keep spelling 'against' wrong *sighs* Leave a kudos or comment?


	7. Blindly Stumbling On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: tiniest touch of violence

He winces as he's shoved forward, almost tripping over the floor tiles. His feet are bare, his shoes missing for some reason, meaning that he can feel each crack as he walks, the jagged edges digging into his skin.

He still can't see properly so the man has to physically pull him along, practically dragging him all the way.

His head whacks the wooden door as the man stops guiding him so he stumbles backwards, yelping.

"Is this him?" a voice asks curiously.

"Careful! I don't know if he's allowed his name."

"He doesn't have it?"

"No, something went wrong."

He must have frowned because he's suddenly tilting sideways and blows are landing on his sides as someone growls angrily, "Eavesdropping is not allowed."

He stifles his groan, the soot and dust from the floor sticking to his hair and face, clogging his throat and making him cough, hard.

"Stop that." The man pulls him up, yanking his arm so hard that his shoulder screams.

They make their way inside, the man constantly pushing him. He gets him to kneel eventually, and someone impatiently clears their throat.

"Who are you?"

He looks up, confused, not knowing if he should answer; A painful kick to his back gives him the answer.

"I don't know."

"Oh, that's interesting."

The man behind him says something in a foreign language, the two having a discussion over his head.

"Look at me."

He looks up, but everything is an blur and he can't tell where he's meant to be looking.

"Don't tell me he's a blind one."

"Just needs glasses, we broke his," The man explains.

He waits, confused and aching, as flashes of joyful cherry blossom photos run through his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee i do so wonder what his name could be... Leave a kudos or comment?


	8. Cherish Your Name

The man coughs, clearing his throat.

He looks up but stays silent, waiting for someone to say something else. He can see the other boys his age standing stiffly in front of the bamboo wall, all of their eyes flicking to him every few seconds before returning to the floor.

"If you can pass my test, you can have your name," The man announces.

"How will I know you're telling me the truth?"

The man holds up a hand to stop the man behind him from moving to hit him, an amused smile appearing on his face.

"I'll give you something that's yours."

"How will I know it's mine?" He asks.

"It'll be something with your name and photo. Now stop asking questions before I punish you." The man sighs as he sees uncertainty on Phil's face. "One more question."

"Who are you?"

The man laughs, "You can call me 'boss'."

He nods as Boss pulls him upright and says, "That was a smart question."

When he doesn't say anything in response, Boss knees his abdomen and orders, "Be polite."

He gasps but nods. "Sorry. Th- Thank you."

"No stuttering," Boss snaps.

"Sorry," He mumbles.

"No mumbling." is the next correction.

"Sorry," He repeats, louder and clearer.

Boss looks him over, with his blue jeans and a purple Gengar shirt peeking out from under his yellow Jake hoodie, before nodding in approval.

Boss pulls out a card from his pocket and hands it to him so his ID badge is clearly visible, his own face staring back at him as he searches for his name.

"Your name is Phil."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* Phil as a protagonist in a phanfiction? Who could've guessed? Leave a kudos or comment?


	9. Possible Information

Dan ends up dragging himself along as he wanders round the flat, looking for anything to suggest where Phil could be.

He doesn't find anything that could help but the smell of cold seems to be stuck in the flat. It's not that the temperature has dropped, there's just a blanket of cold stuck in the air.

Dan curses as he searches the entire flat twice over, eventually collapsing of exhaustion. It's then that his phone chooses to ring.

"Dan!" PJ exclaims through the device as he answers.

"Is Phil with you?" Dan asks tiredly, expecting an apology or something of the sort.

Pj stays silent.

Dan sits up, alert. "Peej? What is it?"

"Dan, he's not here, but I think he's in danger."

Dan pauses, trying to unravel the statement.

"Are you at your flat?" PJ asks.

Dan nods, then renembers that he's on the phone. "Yeah, why?"

"I'm coming over."

"Peej, it'll take you hours!" Dan protests.

"I know, but this is important," PJ says solemnly.

Dan sighs but nods firmly. "Okay, I'll see you soon."

"And, Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave the flat," PJ warns.

"Why not?" Dan asks, not planning to anyway.

PJ doesn't exactly explain. "Just... Trust me on this one."

Dan groans and hangs up.

He's mindlessly watching their old videos and trying to picture the man who'd knocked Phil out when his phone rings again.

He ignores it the first time but, as it keeps ringing, he has no choice but to pick it up.

"Dan, are you okay?!" PJ asks frantically.

"Yeah, why?"

"Dan, I missed it, I was wrong!"

"Peej?" He asks, concerned for his friend.

"Get out of the flat!"

Dan freezes, now completely confused.

PJ continues, "Dan, are you there? Get out!"

But it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course it's too late, [candace sciarra anyone?] the plot must go on! #TypicalAuthor Leave a kudos or comment?


	10. Hopeful Confusion

"Who are you?" Dan asks the man who'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his voice shaky as he tries to hold his ground.

The man sighs and motions for Dan to move backwards, which he does.

"Where is it?" the man demands, his voice rough and harsh.

Dan frowns. "I... I don't understand..."

"Don't play me." the man lunges forwards, his arm pressing agaisnt Dan's neck and pinning him to the wall.

"I'm not!" Dan gasps, coughing.

The man presses harder and harder until Dan's on the verge of passing out. Just before he can, the pressure on his neck vanishes and the oxygen rushes back into his lungs.

He falls to his knees, gasping and shaking. He tries not to panic, instead focusing on his heartbeat and the man in front of him.

Said man gives him a glare before glancing around each room, circling the whole place before returning to Dan.

"Who are you people?"

Dan, having recovered, shakes his head. "I don't know what you mean. We're just like anyone else."

The man laughs, "I doubt it. There must be a reason your friend was deemed urgent."

"Wait, what?" Dan asks, his voice a mixture of confusion and hope.

The man sighs, "I wonder why he left you though."

"Left me? I don't..."

The man shoots Dan a pitiful glance before his gaze hardens and he turns to leave.

"Wait! Please, is Phil okay?"

Sensing his desperation, the man pauses. "I can't say that he's okay. But he's not been physically harmed. Yet."

Dan shuts his eyes, each word settling into his stomach like weights. He doesn't even notice as the man sighs at him before leaving as quietly as he'd entered.

He doesn't know what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this really bad habit of either coming up with intricate, developed backstories for all my characters or literally leaving them nameless, there is no in between. Leave a kudos or comment?


	11. The Need Of Glitter

"The hoodie has to go."

Phil blinks in confusion, still trying to figure out why he'd forgotten his own name.

Something tells him that he doesn't want to get rid of the hoodie. Flashes of brown curls, TV remotes and video cameras rush through his mind, but don't stay long enough for him to decipher them.

"Well?" the man behind Phil demands, shoving him.

Phil shakes his head. "Can't I keep it?"

Boss glares at him. "You're new so I'll forgive you. You're to do as we say here. Now, get rid of that childish thing."

Phil doesn't react fast enough. He yelps as two men pull the hoodie off him, uncomfortably twisting his arm and also suffocating him. He rubs his bare arms, shivering slightly.

"We'll find you a room." Boss stands up, making a face. "Wasn't there two of them?"

One of the men steps forwards. "You asked for one."

"Did I?" He frowns. "Be ready to get the other one at any time."

"But-"

"Enough!" Boss commands, grabbing Phil's forearms and lifting him up. "I'll take him myself."

But Phil sways on the spot, his knees buckling and his eyelids fluttering. He slips out of the man's grip and slides to the floor, falling with a painfully soft thud.

All the men look confused, freezing for a few seconds, before the Boss clicks his fingers. "Louise, go."

Louise steps out of the shadows, her heart softening at the sight of Phil collapsed on the floor, and lifts him up, nodding to the Boss.

"You better hurry." Boss doesn't wait for a reply before turning on his heel.

Louise sighs, "Oh, Phil..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Louise is anyone who's actually reading this [so nobody] as well a way of making the plot so much more confusing. Leave a kudos or comment?


	12. Nothing Is Clear

"Phil, come on, wake up!" Louise pleads.

Phil moans and curls in on himself, his vision turning from black to a soft grey.

"That's it, come on..." Louise encourages.

She helps Phil sit up and lean against the wall. He stays silent as he looks around, then frowns in confusion at Louise.

"Do I know you?"

Louise's eyes widen and she freezes as theories run through her head. But he isn't concussed, he isn't sleepy and he has his glasses on, which means that...

"Oh God."

"Who?" Phil asks, still bewildered.

Louise almost smiles but she shuts her eyes instead, giving Phil a small, sad glance.

"Do you remember Dan?"

Phil's face morphs into an expression of confused sadness. Something about the name rings a bell but he can't solidify the pictures that run through his mind.

"It's okay, don't worry," Louise tells him with what she hopes is a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine."

"Thank you."

It takes Louise a few moments to realise what she's being thanked for but she nods. "It's the least I can do."

"Where are we?"

"I don't know. And I suggest you don't ask."

Phil frowns. "You sound just like them, but a lot nicer."

"Thanks, Phil. Do you want a jumper?"

Phil shakes his head. "You can keep it, you probably need it more than me."

"Phil, listen, you've got to do as they say."

"I don't understand, why?" Phil inquires.

"They might hurt Dan otherwise."

"I don't know who Dan is." Phil looks almost in pain as he says that.

"But I do, okay? And he's a good guy."

"Would it make you upset to see him hurt?" Phil asks gently.

Lousie doesn't know if she should cry or not. "Yes, but I'm sure it'll hurt you a lot more."

Phil bites his lip before sighing. "Okay, I'll keep this Dan guy safe then."

Lousie laughs, relieved that Phil hadn't lost himself when they'd brought him here.

Though that doesn't mean he can't be lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of Amnesia is feelsy... Leave a kudos or comment?


	13. Shared Silence

"Did I fall asleep?" Dan asks nobody in particular as he pulls himself up.

He walks into Phil's bedroom as if hoping for the other to be there, waiting for him, ready to smile and give him a comforting embrace.

But, of course, he's not.

So Dan just sinks to the floor beside the wooden bed frame and watches the shadows of traffic dance across the wall. He sits, transfixed, until someone knocks on the door.

He almost screams, harshly tugged out of his thoughts. But it's only PJ who's calling for Dan, asking if he's okay, shouting for him to unlock the door.

He doesn't.

Not for a while.

It's at least five minutes of making PJ wait later when he staggers to the front door, immediately receiving a relieved hug.

"Dan, are you okay? What happ- is that a bruise?"

"Where?" Dan croaks.

"On your neck?" PJ refrains from touching his neck, knowing how uncomfortable that makes him, but sees the lost look in his eyes and pushes him into a sitting position on the sofa.

"He was here."

"I know, I'm sorry, I should have just told you." PJ runs a hand through his curls and swallows. "Did you see what he looked like?"

"No."

"Did you recognise his voice?"

"No."

"Did you-"

"PJ, I don't f- I don't know."

"Hey, it's okay, I'm sure he's fine," PJs says, sounding the most unsure he's ever sounded.

"What if Phil's dead?"

PJ pauses for a minute and Dan suddenly remembers that Phil was friends with both of them, and there's nothing stopping PJ from being worried as well.

"Ah, s- sorry Peej, I just-"

PJ shushes him as a silence drops around them. It's a solemn silence, one of understanding, worry and comfort.

But it's a shared silence.

And, amidst the silence, a vow is made. A vow to find Phil and bring him back. A vow taken on by both of them.

A vow they intend to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, all caught up with everywhere else now. And good old kickthefire FRIENDship :) Leave a kudos or comment?


	14. Crazy Information

"We have to call the police." Dan is the first to get up.

PJ shakes his head. "We can't."

Dan swears before frowning at him. "Why not?"

"Do you remember when I called you?"

"What was it? What did you find?" Dan asks urgently, gripping Pj's arms.

PJ sighs, making Dan sit back down before continuing, "He sent me a note."

"Who?"

"I don't know, it didn't say a name."

"Peej..." Dan says tiredly.

"Look, I think it's better if you read it yourself."

He pulls out the note and hands it to Dan, who quickly unfolds and scans it, his face paling beyong belief.

By the time he's done, he's even paler than Phil under strobe lighting.

"Is he crazy?" Dan breathes, throwing the paper as violently as he can.

"Probably," PJ replies.

"He can't do this," Dan mutters.

PJ swears suddenly. "Dan, where's Louise?"

Dan freezes before groaning, flashes of cracked walls and blackened blonde hair appearing before he can lift his head to look at PJ.

"I think she's with Phil..."

"But that doesn't make any sense, she's not a male," PJ states rather obviously.

Dan shrugs. "Don't ask me, I'm not inside his brain."

PJ sighs. "Do you want to file a police report?"

"I think it's been made clear that that's a terrible idea, Peej." Dan points to the note.

"Okay, well, we're not just doing nothing!"

Dan groans as he tries to blink away the images of wooden doors and copper chains. PJ tilts in front of him as the pictures of metal bars and dead roses float through his head.

"Dan?"

"My head hurts," Dan mumbles.

"Dan, come on, I can't find Phil without you!"

"We've got to find Phil..." Dan mutters groggily.

"I know, but you've got to stay awake," PJ says urgently.

"I can't, it's too dark..." Dan mumbles before he feels his eyes shutting again.

He hears PJ groan as his head hits the carpet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, it's been almost forever! Leave a kudos or comment?


	15. Part 15: It Hurts To Think

The almost tangible image of a dimpled smile under a cherry blossom causes Phil to stop walking and someone crashes into him, sending the plate in his hands flying towards the floor.

It lands on the tiles with a shrill smash and shatters into about fifty different pieces.

"What was that?" comes Boss' angry voice.

Phil flinches, trying to pick up the pieces.

"What do you think you're doing?" someone beside him hisses, but there's concern laced in their voice.

Phil doesn't say anything, trying to gather the shattered plate with his hands, not noticing the cuts in his attempt to hide the damage.

"That's a bad idea, you'll just get injured," the person says again, this time kneeling beside him and piling the broken fragments onto their plate rather than into his bleeding hands.

"Exactly what is going on?" Boss asks as he walks into the room.

Everyone else moves to the side silently so Phil and the stranger are left as the centre of attention, both of them freezing as they look up to see his angry expression.

The stranger scrambles to their feet but Phil doesn't move, still thinking about busy streets, brightly coloured candy and odd flavours of food. There's something missing from the picture but he can't think what, or who, it could be.

"Oh, honey, leave them be," a voice drawls, "It was probably just an accident."

"I can't afford accidents, you know that."

"He's new, he'll be struggling with his memories," the other voice argues.

Phil blinks, finally snapping back to the present.

"You're right," Boss admits, "Maybe he just needs some time to himself."

And before any of them can begin to process this, Boss grabs Phil's arm and pulls him up, ignoring the way Phil gasps when he's forced to step on shards of ceramic. He's led, limping, down corridors that he doesn't recognise until they get to what looks like a row of prison cells.

Boss smirks as he opens the last one, the one next to the wall. "In you go."

He shoves Phil forwards, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Phil groans, shuffling back so he can lean against the wall, and shuts his eyes, his head pounding as he tries to piece together the jigsaw of memories inside his head.

He wishes he knew what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As does anyone reading, I suppose. Leave a kudos or comment?


	16. The Neighbour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I saved this as a draft and idiotically didn't publish it! So sorry! Thanks to TillyTom on here and AdelineAvrett on wattpad , I realise that now! Oopsy daisy!

"Phil!" someone yells loudly, their voice echoing off the walls.

Phil jumps, blinking.

"Are you awake?" the voice asks.

Phil frowns, wondering if they'd been asking that before he'd woken up. How had they expected someone who was asleep to answer that question? Why did they want him to answer at all? Who even are they?

"Phil?" the voice asks again, and he reluctantly moves a little to try and see who it is.

His muscles immediately make their pains known and the cuts on his hands and feet resume their incessant stinging as if Phil wasn't already aware of them.

"Phil?"

This time, the voice is close, much closer than before. With a start, he realises that it's coming from the room next to him.... The room that looks like a cage next to him... The cell next to him.

"You're allowed to talk here, if that's why you're quiet...?"

Phil frowns, biting his lip.

"H- who... who are y- you?" he asks, wincing as he stumbles over the words.

"What?" the voice asks, and then there's a long silence followed by: "What's your last name?"

"I- I don- don't know," Phil replies.

The voice swears, then sighs, "It's okay. Do you know who I am?"

Phil shakes his head, wondering if the voice can see him. Apparently not, if the lack of a response is anything to go by.

"No." his voice is still small, but loud enough to be heard from the cell next to his.

There's a barely audible sigh of relief that comes from somewhere, but Phil can't tell which direction it comes from. Then the voice that had called out to him before groans in exasperation and Phil almost flinches.

There's a small pause, then: "I'm Dan."

"Dan?" Phil echoes, recalling the conversation he'd had with Louise.

Was this the Dan that Louise had told him to try and remember? Was this the Dan she cared for? Was this the Dan he cared for?

"Yeah, Dan. It's me, your... boyfriend. Do you not remember?" Dan asks, his voice much softer than before.

"Boyfriend?" Phil frowns.

"Yeah, it makes us sound like we're back in secondary school but... yeah. Boyfriend," Dan says, laughing.

"How old are we?" Phil asks, his frown only deepening.

"Don't worry, it'll come back to you," Dan assures him.

"O- Okay..."

"Never mind that. Are you hurt?" Dan asks.

"No..." Phil pauses. "My hands..."

"Phil?" Dan asks curiously and he realises that he'd zoned out, lost in the fragments of conversation, dying houseplants, game controllers.

"Dan?" Phil asks.

"Yeah?"

"Do we live together?"

Dan chuckles. "Yeah, we do..."

Phil bites his lip, nodding, wondering why he hadn't seen Dan before and where they are, not to mention why he doesn't even know his last name...

"Dan?" he calls once again.

"Phil?" Dan mimics.

"What's my full name?"

"I can't tell you, I'm not allowed, I'm sorry..." Dan sounds hesitant, but Phil can't tell why.

So he sighs and wraps his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth to try and get warm, hoping that his memory will come back, especially now that he has Dan with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again to anyone who reads this! Also, almost 250 hits? Woah... I'll update again very soon to make up for over a week's wait... Leave a kudos or comment?


	17. Grasping Ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know I said a quick update, but then I got sick...

"Dan!" PJ yells.

Dan jumps, gasping, sitting up and blinking himself awake.

"What happened?" He asks blearily.

"You passed out again," PJ sighs, flopping down beside him.

"My head feels like someone bashed it with a hammer," Dan mumbles.

PJ chuckles lightly, but it's strained and they both know it. It's one of those laughs people do when they know it's the only alternative to screaming and don't care that it won't sound right.

"You didn't give me any warning before you passed out!"

"How was I meant to know?"

"Same way you know Lou is with Phil!"

"I don't know that, I just have a hunch!"

"Based on what?"

Dan sighs, clicking his fingers. "You're going to think I'm mad."

"I already think that." PJ raises his eyebrows.

Dan chuckles but quickly turns solemn once again. "I can sometimes see… little glimpses of… like a movie, but real… always to do with Phil."

"So you can tell what's happening with Phil?" PJ asks slowly.

"Maybe? I don't have any proof…"

"Can you tell if what you see has already happened?" PJ asks.

"No, I don't know," Dan admits.

PJ nods, smiling a little. "It's cool man, we'll figure it out."

"You don't think any of our other friends are in danger, do you?" Dan asks.

Dan groans again, suddenly, clutching his head. He gasps as pictures of blue eyes behind black bars and rose petals shriveling up fill his mind, unmoving, relentless.

"Peej…" he moans.

"It's okay, it'll pass, Dan, hold on…" PJ soothes, rubbing Dan's back.

And it does.

But only after the two of them have awkwardly stumbled to the bathroom and Dan's expelled everything in his stomach, which admittedly wasn't a lot.

Dan slumps against PJ once they get back to the living room, exhausted and sweating. The two of them don't even make it to the sofa, flopping down on the floor near the door as PJ makes sure Dan doesn't hit his head anywhere.

"So, what did you see?" PJ asks eventually.

"Cells... and flowers, but dying ones," Dan replies slowly.

"Dying ones." PJ echoes.

Dan nods, sighing, "This is hopeless!"

"Of course it's not."

"What can we even do?" Dan groans.

"Well, have you ever, you know, purposely tried to see... anything?"

Dan opens his mouth to scoff but his eyes widen as he realises he hadn't.

"You think I can?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * cue possible reader confusion * this has 500 views on ffn, eek! Leave a kudos or comment?


	18. Evoking Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *it's been 84 years*
> 
> No, but seriously. I am so sorry for the absence of almost two months! I just didn't think anyone really cared for this story, and I lost a bit of motivation. Thanks to all those who commented <3

"Phil?" Someone calls, and he dimly recognises the voice as familiar, but not familiar enough.

It takes him a while to wake up, at which point he sits up and looks to the left on a hunch, gasping when he sees the shrivelled shards of an unknown fabric on the floor.

Slowly unfurling his limbs and stifling a yawn, he reaches out to touch them, jumping when someone coughs sharply behind him. He yanks his arm back and drags his eyes over to the front of his cell, where the Boss is standing with his arms folded and his eyebrows quirked.

"Hungry?"

"No?" Phil can hear the inquisitive tone in his own voice and practically cringes.

"Really?" the Boss narrows his eyes.

"I think so," Phil says, biting his lip.

The Boss sighs, "You… fine. Stay here for all I care."

And so Phil is left alone once more.

Naturally, he turns back to the things on the floor, gently touching one with a finger. To his surprise, it's neither plastic nor glass, but petals. Soft, dead, rose petals.

"Leave them alone!" someone shouts next to him but it's too late.

Phil's already clutching his head in pain, his mouth dropping open in a silent scream, and his shoulders hunching over. He squeezes his eyes shut as the sound of someone crying echoes in his head and watering chocolate eyes fill his mind.

"Go away, go away, please, go away…" Phil begs his mind, his head now between his knees.

It's not that simple.

He thinks he can hear someone brokenly call out for him, someone whisper his voice like a treasured secret, someone ask for him as if he's lost. But he can't figure out who.

Louise had said someone called Dan cared for him, but Dan was here with him, wasn't he?

So who was looking for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but I hope to get back into it again soon! Sorry once again! Leave a kudos or comment!


	19. Certainly Something

Dan groans loudly as PJ comes up with nothing once again.

The two of them had been searching for clues, anything really, for the last two hours. But now their patience had finally run out.

"This is hopeless," PJ murmurs, "And where'd Chris get to?"

"Wait, you've already called him?"

"Yeah... Why?"

Dan bites his lip. "Last I heard, Chris only lived a few hours away. He should have been here by now."

"No... He lives ages away, doesn't he?" PJ argues, unwilling to accept the truth.

Dan shakes his head.

The two of them exchange a look that can't be explained, but the looks of worry in their eyes can. Both biting their lips, they take a moment to motivate themselves so that they can at least pretend to be hopeful.

PJ exhales loudly. "Maybe it's time for you to try and talk to Phil."

"Peej, I've tried my best!"

"I know, but Phil needs you."

"What if he doesn't? What if he's happy without me? What if he prefers it this way?" Dan asks dejectedly.

"Dan, come on, we both know the two of you are happiest when you're together."

"Are you sure?"

PJ just gives him a look, the kind of look that can't be argued with, the kind of look that's usually reserved for desperate times. Then again, this was a desperate time.

"Okay..."

Sighing, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted, Dan shuts his eyes and tries to imagine the withered rose petals he'd seen last time. He tries to imagine the cold, the metal, the uncanny feeling that sends shivers along your spine.

It doesn't work and he ends up glaring into the dented wall. He can hear PJ sigh and groans, flopping backwards.

As his head hits the floor, he can feel a spike of something cold rush through his heart. Without thinking, he focuses on Phil again, his determination renewed.

He gasps; it sort of works.

He can see Phil leaning against a counter of some sort, then moving to grab something, and turning to talk to someone, just before another silhouette joins them and Phil seems to melt backwards but it's too late because they're both moving too fast and -

His vision blackens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand there we go. Thanks if you read this! Leave a kudos or comment?


	20. Better Than Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm sorry. I had a massive chapter written for the end of spooky week and lost motivation when it got deleted. So apologies for the delay! I hope it's not too bad... (it probably is)

"Phil, come on, we haven't got time for this."

Phil nods, trying to blink his pain away.

Just like he'd been trying to do for the past hour, with Dan's constant guiding whispers of unintelligible words and peculiar sentences to try and help him. It's not that his words hadn't been helpful, but there was something that felt wrong about asking someone else to fix the problems deep inside his mind.

"Thanks, Dan," he says anyway, even though he has nothing to thank him for.

"Of course. Now let's see if we can get out of here, yeah?"

"Okay."

It's not even two minutes later when Dan has shouted enough to grab someone's attention and the two of them are being hauled up the stairs Phil doesn't remember - but that's not saying much because he barely remembers anything.

Either way, the two of them quickly get working at the sink they're shoved in front of, washing the plates without thinking. He has no idea why they're doing chores or why there are so many plates in the first place but he doesn't have enough energy left to complain. Of course, Phil's hands are numb and shaking from cold and hunger so his clumsiness is more exposed. And of course, he ends up accidentally misplacing one of the plates, watching it fall in a numb horror.

Dan gasps next to him, moving to help him pick up the plates, but the boss is there before either one them can succeed, walking towards them with a frown of malice on his face and anger etched into his stride.

Which means trouble.

Phil shuts his eyes, fully expecting to be dealt a blow of punishment or something akin to that, but, to his utmost surprise, he's only pushed to the side by someone else, almost crashing into the fridge and luckily catching his equilibrium before he can give himself a concussion.

The Boss starts shouting at Dan, a harsh kind of hissing that sounds more like disappointed than anger. Strange, Phil thinks, how the Boss lets him get away with breaking ceramic plates when he was blamed for needing glasses. But he understands when Dan's knees are buckling before he can even gasp, and there's a dull thud as he hits the floor.

Phil winces for him, but Dan just sits up and breathes heavily, apparently not too bothered.

The Boss mutters something to Dan that Phil can't decipher and then turns on his heel, pulling someone else along with him - yet another face that'll likely vanish before Phil can find out their name or who they care, or even what they did to deserve disappearing. Funny, he thinks, how so many people can vanish and yet Phil always feels like the place is overcrowded.

"Phil.." Dan nudges Phil to get him moving again, so he reluctantly swaps jobs with the guy next to him and starts to put plates back on the shelf.

He can't help thinking of another time when there was another brunet helping him wash soapy dishes and the two of them lazily flicking foam at each other before Phil's glasses had complained and the brunet had lovingly sat him down to see if his eyes were okay. He can't help it but he does wish he knew who the brunet was... Does he have another friend like Dan somewhere?

"Phil!" Dan suddenly yells next to him and he jumps, almost dropping the second plate.

"What?" Phil asks shakily.

"Are you okay? You looked... Blank." Dan's question feels more like an accusation.

"How did we meet? Why don't I remember you?"

For at least the eighth time, Dan sighs to himself, putting two fingers on the bridge of his nose and breathing in slowly before exhaling and making a sympathetic face. "Phil..."

"Dan, I don't know what's happening. Is this normal? I don't understand why we're washing plates and being locked in cells."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know it's disorientating but you will remember. And until then, I'm here with you." Dan assures him.

Someone behind them makes a pained sound, a helpless complaint, but Phil has no idea why. If anything, Dan's voice was a comfort, something to coo at, wasn't it?

"Phil, what's wrong?" Dan asks urgently, just as Phil feels faint as if something is tugging on his heart and pulling at his soul.

"I... I don't.." Phil trails off as he leans on the counter and shuts his eyes, hearing little snippets of what he thinks is his name. "Hello?" he asks, unsure of who he's talking to, and how.

The voice in his head stops, pauses, and then starts over again, this time softer and happier, full of hope. Phil smiles to himself as the calming voice fills his mind, and he ignores Dan as he starts stacking cups and trying to focus on the person somehow inside he's mad. He can't tell if he's dreaming or if he's going mad, but, if he's honest, he wouldn't mind either one.

"Am I going insane?" Phil mumbles under his breath, and even though the voice in his head immediately says no, he can't bring himself to fully trust it.

Just when the voice seems to be getting louder and clearer, there's the unmistakable sound of a gong being whacked. Everyone flinches in unison, then smiles softly, whispering to each other. Dan grins at Phil. "That means we get food!"

"What?"

Dan just loops an arm through his and pulls him along, the two of them following everyone else as the voice in Phil's head seems to reluctantly dim until he can only hear a familiar silence. Even as their group sits at a strangely cold table and Dan passes him a plate full of pasta, Phil can't shake the feeling that he's missing something. Sharing a laugh with Dan lifts his spirits to an extent, but he doesn't know what he needs to feel like himself again or even remember who exactly he is.

Whether or not the voice is real, he kind of wants it to come back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So is anyone else insanely hyped for interactive introverts? I literally can't wait to see how it goes, I have never been this excited for our two dorks with fringes! Anyway... Leave a kudos or comment?


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